What Is A Video Sales Letter?

If you're new to internet marketing, you've probably seen dozens of blog posts telling you about the different ways you can market your products.

And there are a lot!

It can be a bit overwhelming, which is why we love breaking down these seemingly complex tools into something that is easy to digest.

There are a bunch of ways to get your customer's attention and draw them into the sale.

However, one of my personal favorite tools to use is the video sales letter (VSL).

Let's take a look.

What Is A Video Sales Letter?

A VSL (Video Sales Letter) is a direct response marketing technique that is intended to grab the attention of the viewer, tell a story, build up a project and elicit a direct response.

By the end of the VSL, a customer should be ready and willing to click on whatever the narrator of the video tells them to!

The actual mechanics of a VSL are pretty simple—there is a landing page in which the video automatically plays, and there is somewhere in which the customer can take action. Often there is additional copy below the video in case the viewer isn’t completely sold, but the main focus is the VSL itself.

The ideal VSL is a video that draws customers in with visuals that keep them watching and a script that is so compelling that the customer is willing to watch the video all the way to the end—even if that means 30 minutes.

Video Sales Letters Vs. Written Sales Letters

While WSLs can be great for lower ticket items, they simply aren’t as powerful as VSLs. This is because VSLs give the customer someone and something to latch on to.

We’ll get to that more in a little bit.

Essentially, it’s important to understand the purpose of a VSL—to drive traffic to a mid-tier sale (as opposed to the slightly lower tickets that WSLs drive traffic to). While this may cost more money upfront (to create the VSL), a marketer can also expect to see bigger results from a VSL.

To write the absolute best VSL possible, make sure to check out Copywriting Bootcamp, a completely FREE course that will teach you how to write compelling copy! I

The Benefits of VSLs

Now that you know the purpose of a VSL, let’s get into some of the amazing benefits!

Below are 4 phenomenal benefits of video sales letters that make them one of the most powerful forms of marketing…

1. They Are VISUAL

People are largely visual creatures. This is why movies and TV are so big!

Sure, there are also people out there that prefer reading, but the difference between readers and viewers is pretty stark.

According to a recent survey, around 24% of Americans haven’t read a book in the last year.

This compares to around five hours per day of TV viewing! And this doesn’t even include going to the movies!

Obviously, video is a preferred medium, as people get sucked into video storytelling.

To capture the attention of customers that wouldn’t read a big chunk of text (no matter how well-written), a VSL is key to success.

2. They Are Engaging

A well-crafted VSL can be completely captivating…

Without even realizing it, a customer can spend 20 to 30 minutes watching a sales video—compelled the whole way through to keep watching.

This is because VSLs have the ability to engage the viewer in a way that other mediums can’t.

With the ability to tell a full story, complete with visuals, marketers are able to leverage the power of video to draw customers in and keep them there until the end!

3. They Allow You to Convey EMOTION

So, can a marketer convey emotion with text? Of course.

But is it easier to convey the same emotion with a video? If done right, it sure can be!

The problem with text is the inability for the reader to appropriately recognize tone each and every time.

While sometimes it’s easy for a writer to convey a certain emotion, other times the exact emotion can get lost in the shuffle. This can leave a reader confused—which will immediately turn them off.

With a sales letter, the customer should be mesmerized from beginning to end. It’s like a spell. If the spell is broken, the customer is woken from their lull—which can lead them to closing out the page.

With VSLs, the narrator can easily convey the appropriate emotions and show the reader how they feel without telling them how they feel. With the right narrator, there is an immediate emotional connection—which will in turn draw the customer even deeper in and create a sense of empathy.

People generally make purchase decisions with their emotions. VSLs make the process of expressing emotions simple.

4. They Allow You to Build HYPE

Another fantastic advantage of video sales letters is the level of hype that a marketer is able to build throughout the video.

Because of the excitement in the narrator's voice and the upbeat images that are being shown onscreen, customers are compelled to become more and more excited as the video presentation continues.

By the time the VSL is over, the customer is ready to take action!

Driving Traffic to Your VSL

VSLs are extremely powerful…if marketers can get their customers to check out their VSLs in the first place!

Driving traffic to a VSL is a whole process, but I wanted to take a quick moment to mention a couple of the most popular traffic driving techniques that marketers use to drive quality traffic to their VSL pages…

Funnels

Many VSL sales come from customers going down funnels that lead them to the VSL page. With a funnel, the customer can be pre-sold so that—by the time they reach the VSL—they are ready to give it a fair watch.

Often times these funnels are based around email marketing campaigns. Once the customer’s information is captured, the marketer can then send them follow-up emails with links to the VSL.

This warms the customer up and increases the likelihood of the sale.

Blogs

Another more direct way to drive traffic is through blogs and articles. These provide the customer with quality content, which establishes the marketer as an expert and builds trust.

Throughout the blog there can be various links that drive traffic to a VSL. If the marketer writes good enough blogs, the customer will be ready to view the VSL and purchase if they are compelled to do so.

Your Next Steps

If you're someone selling a mid-ticket product online, there's no question that you should be using VSLs.

Video is taking over the internet, and it's becoming increasingly difficult to sell products without harnessing the power of video.

However, you have to understand how to write compelling VSL scripts if you want to convince anyone that your product or service is worth purchasing.

If you want to learn more about writing compelling copy for all types of sales techniques make sure to check out Copywriting Bootcamp.

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